That’s not including all the times that I’ve moved within those states. Believe it or not, I was only a military brat for the first 18 months of my life.

So, if you are looking for someone that has tons of moving experience under her belt, them I’m your gal!

You can’t move that often without having a few moving house tips under your belt!!

Even though I’ve moved around a lot, I”m happy to say NOW we are never moving again. Last year we bought our very first house, so all of my moving house tips are finally used up. And we are happily settled into our new home. Isn’t she a beauty?

Though I may be done moving, I want to help you with my moving house tips because I’ve also learned a bajillion ways NOT to make your move go smoothly.

Let my back aches, stress, and wallet woes be your lesson. Each and every one of my moving house tips is a tried and true way to make your move go as seamlessly as possible.

Moving really sucks, so you might as well have a few tricks up your sleeve (or cases of wine in your truck) to help you survive the process, right?!?

5+ Moving House Tips to Save Your Sanity

1. Make A Budget: Whether you’re moving out of state or just locally, it’s really important to make a budget. This will help you know if you can afford to let movers do it all for you or if you are going to have to put in some effort yourself.

2. Decide If You Are Going to Move/Pack Or Hire Out: Once your budget is set, then you can figure out whether you are going to do it yourself and rent a truck, or if you have the funds to hire movers! Have no idea where to start? Here’s some great resources to see what fits in your budget.

UPack: You can really save a lot of money by packing yourself. You can get free Upack quote, if you don’t mind packing boxes to save big bucks.

If you do decide to pack yourself, you can even save money on boxes by ordering quality used cardboard boxes!

Moving Truck Rentals: Here are some great companies to get rental truck quotes from

2. Pack an essentials box last:One of the worst things is packing everything up and then realizing the most important things you need are nowhere to be found. When packing up, put a separate pile for essentials you will need immediately.

Pack this up in a separate box last, and LABEL the heck out of that box. These moving labels make it SUPER easy so you don’t misplace this box!

This would be things like bills, financials, important papers, personal care items, scissors, basic cleaning supplies. That way when you really need something you don’t have to dig through mounds and mounds of boxes.

3. Use suitcases to pack clothes: If you are like our family, you own at least one suitcase. Make sure that you pack at least one suitcase with at least a week’s worth of clothes for everyone in your family.

There is nothing worse than wanting to shower and change after a long day moving to realize you’ve literally packed every piece of clothing that you own. Packing it in a suitcase, makes it easy to find and makes sure that you have clean clothes to wear while you unpack.

4. Unpack Kitchen Boxes First: The kitchen is one of the very first places that you will need to get to the items you packed. Eating out every single night means you will be wasting a lot of money that you could be saving on your new place.

5. Keep an Entertainment Box Handy:It takes time to get things like cable and Internet ready, and it doesn’t matter if you are 5 or 50 you are going to want something to DO while you wait for your life to get back in order.

6. Move Your Utilities in a Snap: Cancelling and setting up new utilities can be such a flippin’ hassle! That’s why when I can delegate setting up my new utilities I do.

Cablemovers are an awesome company that will tell you who your local telephone, cable, and other local providers! You can even get moving quotes and forward your address on their website! Talk about a sanity saver!

Just like that, moving doesn’t have to be ulcer inducing. With these 5 moving house tips to save your sanity, you can move to your new digs, whether permanent or temporary, and know that you can handle the stress that comes with moving!

And in case moving does drive you to drink, you can always find something to soothe you over with these drinks made with wine.

Renting furniture seems like a great idea I never thought of! Although, I would also recommend going to the state liquor store for packing boxes. They are usually strong, and always free (the liquor store is actually trying to get rid of them, so it’s a win-win).

The only problem with this is that when I moved in, the neighbors thought they’d found the party house when they saw my moving boxes. They were sorely disappointed.